National Republican., 1887-05-23
A SERMON TO THE SAILORS
REV. DIR. TALMAGE breaches TO THE
NAVAL VETERANS.
While Fuii Justice Has Been Done
the Brave Men who Fought on Land,
the Country Has Neglected Its Heroes
of the Sea.

In the war, the naval posts invited the Rev
Dewitt rilmage, d. D to preach sermon
at the Brooklyn Tabernacle appropriate /, tho
occasion, as often, In the annual commemor-
alton. but little had been siid of those who
served in the navy An American flag
adorned the pulpit. aud the e ing CATION sang
with great spirit:
Mc country. It's of thee.
sweet land OF liberty.
DR.. Talmages text was from James Ill, 4;
"Behold alsp the ships" lie said:
II this exclamation was appropriate ab ,ut
! $50 years ago, W len II was written concern.
ing the crude fishing smacks that sailed Lake
Gdlilee. how much mere appropriate in an
age which has launched from the dry docks
for purposes of peace the Arizona, OF the
Gdion line: the City OF Richmond of the
lnuian line the Egypt, of the National line;
the Gerluanic, of the White Star line. the Cir
cassla, oi the Anchor liue: the Etrura, Of the
Cuiaid line, aud the Great Eastern. with hun
6N feet loDg-hot u faliure. for IL helped lay
the Atlantic cable, and That was enough glory
for one ships existence aud In an nge whch
for purp SEES of war has launched tile screw
slOops like the Idaho, the Shenandoah, the
Ossippe, and our iron clads ike the kalama-
80. the RoauUke, aud the Dunderberg, and
those which have alread, been buried in the
deep like the Monitor, The Housatonic. the
WechHwkctl, and the TcCuInseh the tenpests
ever since sounding voley over tn, ir wntcry
sepulchets aud the scared veterans Of war
sntpping Ike the Constitution, or the Alliance
" the GOnsiellAiiUu that have swung into the
naval yhids tO sfgnd their last DAYS, their
uerks now all sirut uf the feet that trod them.
their rigEins all silrui ui the hands that c.uug
70 them, tn,ir pOtthOes silent OF the brazeu
throats that oucc Numbered ON of them
III IN the hrst century, when war
vessels re d pendent on the oars that
PADDED at tue side Ot them Tor propulsion my
text wa> suggestive, with how much more em
phai> aud meaning, aud Overwhelming remi.
nlscense we can cry out. rs we see the Rear
cage lay across the bows of the Alabama and
.iuR IL. teaching iOieign nations they had
bttter Keep their hand oh our American light,
or as we see the ram Albemarle, of the con.
iedeiates. running out and III the Roanoke,
thing into cOnusien aS no other craft ever did,
pursued by the Miami, the Ceres. the South
ield, the sassacus the Mattabesttt. the White
head, the Commodore Hull, the louisiana
trying IL vain to catch her. until Capt. Gu b :
Ing, q years OF age, and his men
blew, blew ner up, himself aud only one
for1, and the Richmond. and the Mononga-
hela. with other gunbeats sweep past the
batteries oi Port iiunson, and the Mississippi
hOws forever free % all northern and uihefn
craft. cry out with patriotic emotion that
cannot suppress. II would, aud wOuld not II
could: Behold also the ships"
Al the annual decoration Of grayes-north
and south among f.derals aud cOnf.durates--
llll Justice has been done TO the memory of
thos. who fought on the land In our sad con-
test, but not enough has been said of those
VINO, on ships deck, dared and suffered all
things Lord Goo OF the rivers aud OF the sea,
help me in this sermon! SO. ye admirais.
commudores. commanders. captains, pilots,
Runners, boatswains, sailmakers, surgeons,
st0ker>. messmaies, and seamen of all names.
10 use your own parlance. we might as well
get under way aud stand out toward sea. Let
all landlubbers 30 ashore. Full speed, now!
Four bells.
Never since the sea fight OF Lepanto, where
three hundred royal galieys, manned by fifty
thousan warriors, at sunrise, Sept. 1Hl, met
two hundred and fifty 10Y yal galltys manned by
one hundred and twenty thousand men. aud
IN the four hours OF battle eight thousand fell
OH one side and twenty-five thousand Oh the
other:yea, never since the day when at Actium.
thirty one years before Christ, AUGUSTUS, with
two hundred and sixty ship, scattered the two
hundred and twenty ships of Marc Antony
and gained universal dominion as the prize:
twelve hundred galleys OF the Persians.
manned by five hundred thousand men. were
crushed by Greeks with less than a third of
that force: yea, never since the time of Noah,
the first sea captain has the world seen such
miraculous creation as that of the Ameri-
can navy In 1861. There were about TWO hun
dred available seamen In al the naval sta.
tiOns and receiving ships. and here and there
an old vessel. Yet orders were given to block.
ade thirty-tive hundred miles OF sea coast,
greater Than the whole coast of Europe, and,
beside that. the Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland,
Mississippi, and other great rivers, covering
All extent OF 1900 more miles. were to be
patrolied. No wonder the whole civilized
world burst into guiiaw of laughter at the
done, done. almost Immediately. done thor
oughly, and done with speed and consum.
mate skill that eclipsed all the history of naval
architecture. What brilliant achievements
are suggested by the mere mention Of the
names OF the rear admiras. II all they did
shonld be written, every one suppose that
even the world itself could not contain the
books that shouid be written. But these
names have received the honors due. The
most OF them went to their graves under
the cannonnde OF all the forts navy yards,
and m.n OF war, the flags OF all the shipping
ailh capitals at hal mast.
But rtcite to-day the deeds of our naval
heroes who have not yet received appropriate
recognition. Behold also the ships" As we
Will never know what our national prosperity
Is worth until we realize what II cosl. recall
the uureciled fact thai the men of the navy
ian especial risks They had not only the
human weuponry to Contend with, but the
could they run into harbOr at the approach of
an equinox, or n cyclone, or HURRICANE. be.
cause the harhors were hostile. A misGalcula-
ton OF tide might leave them on bar, and o
fOg might overthrow ull the plans of wisest
commodore and admiral, and accident might
leave them, not on u land ready for an am.
bulunce. but al the bottom OF the sea, as when
the torpedo blew up the Teenmseh, in Mobile
bay, an. nearly all on board perished. They
were At the mercy Of the Atlantic and Pacific
O'eans. which have no mercy: such tempests
az wrecked the Spanish Armada might any day
swoop upon the, squadron. No hiding be-
hind the earlhwOrks. No digging in
Of cavalry spurs at the SOUND of retreat
Mightier than all the furtresses oil all
the coasts, is the ocean when 1t bombards II
fiotilla. In The cemeteries for federal and
confederate dead are the bodies of most of
those VINO fell on the laud. Hut where those
are who went down in the war vessels will not
pc known until the sea gives up its dead The
Iack tars knew that while loving arms might
rarry the men wh" tell on the land and bury
war. f0T the b ,des OF those who dropped from
the allnes into the sea or went down with all
on Duhrd under the Strokes Oi gunboat there
remained the shark and the whale and the
endless tossing ot the sea which cannot rest.
How wiii yOl iind Their graves for This national
decoration? Noihing but the archaDg8l's trum
Det shall reach their loMly bed lev OF them
have been gathered iuto naval cemeteries Ofthe
land aud you will garland the SOD that covers
them but who will put flowers on the fallen
crew of the exploded Westied and shawshetn
and the sunRen Suuthteld and the Winfield
ScOil Bullets threatening in front, bombs
threatening from above, tOrpedoes threatening
fiom beneath. and the ocean with Its leputa-
tion fr six thousand wears for shipwreck, lying
all around am not right in saying II required
aspVcial courage for the navy?
II looks picturesque and beautiful to see
war vessel golng ont through the Narrows,
ballors IN new rig singing,
"A life on the ocean wave,
A home on the rolling deep"
the colofs gracefully dipping 10 passing ships,
the decks imms9ulately clean, and the guns at
qllarant ne iiT.ng u parting salute. But the
poetry Is all gone out Of that ship rs 1t comes
out oi That engagement-its decks red with
human blood, wheel house gone the cabins Il
pile OF shattered mirrors and destroyed iurni-
lure. steering wheel broken, smoke sta TX
crushed hundred pound WhttYOrlh rifle
shot having left It's mlFk fTOm port to star
bDard, the shTOud, reul away, ladders spllDt
erred aud decks plowed up, aud smoke black
ened aud sealdrd cnrpSes lying among those
who are gaspiDg their last gasp lar away rom
home and kindred, whom they love d much
as We love wife and parents and ehildren. Not
waiIlng until you are dead 10 put upon your
graves u wreath OF recognition. this hour we
put on Nonr living brow the garland Of ma
tIIn's praise.
0. men of the Mnslnrn nnli sniInlrnn of the